We Are Nobody
by InfinitePanicAttacks33
Summary: Though Percy had managed to survive in one piece, there were still many conflicts left unresolved. The Olympians were now falling apart, and a new group was left to fix the mess. Only, now they had secrets to keep and more forces to contend with. In the midst of possibly the greatest blow to Athena, how will they survive, and how will they maintain the sanity of a friend? (Hiatus)
1. Reunion

**Hello again! Long time, no see! As promised, here is the sequel. Happy New Years to everyone and please read on!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own PJO. Seriously. (But I did enjoy writing the endings in each chapter, so you can say we agree on the torturous endings thing.)**

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><p><strong>Annabeth's POV<strong>

Seeing Percy again after what had been a year, I felt the need to do one of three things; stand there and take in that he was _actually real_, kiss him in a complete un-Annabeth-like fashion, and of course, give him a good knock to the face for doing something _so unbelievably stupid_.

After believing him gone for so long, I had no way to react. What was I supposed to do? Tell him that I love him in a totally mushy romance-novel type of way? Wrap my arms around him, like I would a baby? None of these ideas were right. They simply weren't me, and I knew that Percy wouldn't expect me to do anything like that. In fact, I believe that he wouldn't want me to do that.

This meeting had to be real. I wasn't going to pretend to be happy after finding out that he nearly killed himself in a suicidal explosion. No. There was no way I was going to react calmly to something like that, and he knew it. I could tell by the way he readied himself the moment he saw me.

For that reason, I felt justified in doing what I couldn't stop myself from acting on next.

Seeing Percy sitting there in front of me on a comfortable leather chair in a nice room warmed with a cozy fireplace, I let my emotions go wild. All the anger, all the sadness, and all the freaking hopelessness from the past months built up inside me, and knowing perfectly well what I was doing, I stomped up to the seaweed-brain and punched him straight in his stupid face.

"YOU IDIOT!" I screamed, nearly losing my voice with those two words.

Percy cringed, holding his already swelling cheek gingerly behind his calloused hand. "Hello to you too, wise-girl."

I sent him my best glare, powerful enough to make even Thalia flinch. Sure enough, he sank a little deeper into his chair. Surprisingly, he didn't look away from my face, almost as if he was trying to take it in…

I shook my head, trying to cover the furious blush on my face with anger. "What were you thinking! Reyna gave you that charm as a means of escape if you needed one, not to blow yourself up! You're lucky that Poseidon saved you on time!"

Percy stiffened, suddenly looking not at all afraid of my wrath.

"Right," he said. "Lucky me."

I ignored it, figuring that I would find out more about his random shift of mood later on.

_Now that we have a later…_

I suppressed a hidden smile.

"Do you realize what you did?" I asked. "You could've killed yourself! We-we thought you'd managed it. Your mom, she was so upset! She wouldn't eat or talk or even-"

"Are you sure she was the only one who was upset?" Percy questioned, smirking despite the seriousness of the situation.

_Why you little…_

"You shouldn't be joking about this," I snapped. "We really thought you were dead. All this time…" My eyes flitted to the side, avoiding the sea green mess staring back at me. "I missed you so much."

I inspected the red-painted walls surrounding us in the elaborate bedroom, pretending that I couldn't hear the silent sound of Percy getting up from his seat and cupping my face in his hands. Even so, it was hard to act as if I couldn't feel the warmth radiating from Percy's familiar body. To my annoyance, it was impossible to hold back the soft sigh of relief that escaped me.

Percy didn't comment on it, instead leaning his forehead onto mine, letting his breaths synchronize with my own. "I'm sorry, Annabeth."

It was hardly anything above a whisper, but that made his words all the more intense in this oh-so-silent room. With only the two of us leaning into each other's heat, it was easy to forget we had problems beyond that of a normal couple's.

Afraid to disturb the silence encompassing us, I kept my voice low and far from anything a bystander would hear. "Why would you think of that as an option? You _knew _that I was alive, so what was your reason for believing that nothing was left? Am I really only a nothing to you? An intangible object that can be thrown away?"

Percy tilted my head up, forcing me to see what turned out to be an angry expression. "Stop over-thinking things. It's a bad habit."

I scoffed. "Like_ you're_ one to talk."

He let out a sigh like I had, only his was one of annoyance. "Okay, fine, whatever. We both overthink things, but don't start assuming that any of this happened because I didn't care enough about you. That's a lie. I pushed that button _because _I thought of you."

"That doesn't make any sense, even coming from you."

"It does. You're my wise-girl, so you'll figure it out soon enough." Percy smiled, although I noted that it wasn't as bright as it was before. "For now, just call me an idiot again and kiss me, alright?"

I studied Percy's face, seeing the bags and pale tinge in his skin. Something was definitely off, but I knew that poking at it now would solve nothing. At the moment, all he needed was reassurance and someone to hold. Although my anger hadn't fully gone away, I let myself be his anchor for as long as he would allow before he went back to carrying the burden himself.

Damn him.

"You idiot," I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You better not do that again."

Percy let the tip of his nose brush mine, and spoke his words over my lips. "That's a promise."

After that, there really was no one else but us in that very calm and peaceful room. The world was no longer an abstract object.

If I could convince myself that no other human existed beyond this stupidly sweet man and me, I would believe it whole-heartedly. The firm way he held me, like I wasn't a weak little child, was enough to make my heart beat stronger than before. His lips spoke of the faith we had in each other, the oath we had left to keep, and the desperation we'd been holding in for so long.

I let my fingers caress his face, like I'd done a number of times before.

Outside the windows, the snow fell in silence; everything white and impossibly dream-like, as though my heart conjured the image it wished for most.

I sighed inaudibly, my breath caught between Percy's salty lips.

_I really do love you, Seaweed-Brain._

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><p><strong>And there it is, the end of the first chapter! :) I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>

**The cover image will be made and released in due time, and the chapters will be weekly because I like reading responses and such.**

**The next update will be Monday, 6 January 2015. Buh-bye!**

**(And have a great day or night or whatever!)**


	2. Crow Feathers

**Here is chapter two, as promised. I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I didn't mention it in the last chapter (I'm so forgetful), but I would like to thank Annabeth Brady for beta-reading my story! She's helped me really put it together so: Thank you very much!**

**Disclaimer: I don't won PJO…it's 'k though.**

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><p>Percy's POV-<p>

Shortly after talking to Annabeth, we'd both called it a day and decided to fall asleep together. Neither of us really minded, and considering all we'd been through, sharing a bed didn't seem like a big deal. I just hoped that I didn't have any nightmares, and lucky for me, my wish was granted.

I'd had my first good nap in a long time, and it was all thanks to being with my Wise Girl. Finally.

Smiling, I caressed her face as she remained in dreamland beside me. I'd missed her more than anything in the world, but now that we were together, I couldn't help but think…what was next?

I sighed and leaned back, thinking once again about all the things that had led to this moment. There was just so much to go through, starting with my father and all the people at the Academy.

They'd thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. According to my "father", I was still too fragile to meet any other people and because of that he almost didn't let me see Annabeth again. That was complete bullshit of course, but who knows. I think I'm perfectly fine, but ever since that failed mission at the Academy people have been treating me like a porcelain doll with a crack down her spine. This meaning, I was fine now, yet the moment that broken little zig-zag was touched, there would be only fragments of my body left.

I wasn't angry though, just slightly annoyed. After all, I _did _manage to convince my father to let me meet her again and that was the only thing I really wanted at the moment. By simply seeing that everyone I cared about was okay, I was content.

Even so, my uneasiness didn't waver. For this, I blamed the Academy. It was their fault that I hadn't seen the outside world for more than a year.

Everyone had been going on and on about how Poseidon had saved me, but they didn't understand. Sure, he'd kept an eye on our family for fifteen years, but that's about all he did. Not once did he step in when Gabe was beating me-sometimes nearly to death-and he sure as hell didn't do a thing when he saw that the Titans were after me. Where was he then, huh? Why did he have to appear only when it was convenient for _him_?

It was by luck that he had managed to save me. I just happened to be standing near one of the emergency trap doors designed to help the Army escape. He didn't really want to help me. No, he simply saw that there was a bigger chance he could. If not, then he would've walked straight out and focused on himself.

I sighed, pulling the blanket even tighter around Annabeth and me.

I could still remember what happened. I had miscalculated the time the charm would blow, but my father hadn't. There were enough seconds left, that Poseidon could take it from my hands and throw it somewhere farther from us.

He moved so fast, that I didn't even have time to process what was happening. It wasn't until afterwards that I could remember him shoving me through the metal door beneath us.

"_There's no time to explain," he'd said, "except that I'm your father and we need to get out of here."_

That was the most we've spoken to each other outside of work-related topics, and despite all the months that passed since then, our relationship wasn't getting any better. Not that I cared. It just came to show how little that man cared about having a son; about his own flesh and blood.

Once we'd escaped, he'd taken me to the Academy where I went back to square one of training. That's when I came to the conclusion that I hated him.

There I was, trying to free myself of Olympian life, only to have my chances ruined by some selfish father who'd decided to send me to a fancy boot camp.

It was in that place where I felt myself become the person everyone feared. In the span of six months I'd gone from being the happy-go-lucky Percy Jackson, to the kid with the downright depressing aura.

_Was I really depressed? _I asked myself.

_Probably._

From behind me, I heard the clicking of a door. Instantly I jumped up and turned around, only to meet eye to eye with a very frightened-looking Frank.

"Geez, man." I grumbled. "At least knock on the door before coming in. We could've been doing something kinky."

Frank froze and eyed Annabeth, who was still sleeping beside me. "Are you sure you didn't already….you know…."

He made a bunch of flapping gestures with his hands, which I supposed were supposed to be imitating human intercourse. Poor dude couldn't even say it.

But I could.

I sighed. "Frank, we weren't having sex."

"I never said you were! I was just making sure…"

I rolled my eyes, turning to shake Annabeth's shoulder. "Hey, it's time to get up. The pervert came to get us."

Frank didn't deny the accusation. Instead, he looked down at the floor and pretended to inspect the carpet. I could hear him mumbling stuff like, _Wow, what a nice shade of brown _and _Is that a blood stain I see?_

I liked Frank, I really did. He was one of the few people who I believed was being his actual self, even if he had been undercover all that time I knew him at high school. When I'd first reunited with him at the Academy, I'd thought he would be different and completely unlike the clumsy not-so-little Asian Canadian dude I'd known.

That wasn't how things happened. He was the exact same person I'd grown used to, and for that I was happy. Still, he sometimes jumped to conclusions too fast. Like now, where he tried to pass off his dirty train of thought for innocence.

"Where are we going?"

I came back to reality, hearing Annabeth's groggy voice inches from my ears.

"I think it's time for the meeting," I replied, grabbing a hold of her hand while she was still caught off guard.

She flinched, knowing instantly what I was talking about. This talk was the thing we feared the most.

The most difficult part about coming out of hiding was that I still had to pretend to be dead until the time was right. In the Academy, that wasn't a problem. In there, no one was aloud to leave the building, and even if someone decided that they wanted to escape (something that was very unlikely), they still only knew my fake name.

My identity was concealed behind a ton of bricks and Roman legions.

"Yeah," Frank confirmed. "They're actually waiting for us right now."

Annabeth jumped off the bed, slipping on her shoes faster than lightning. "Then we have to go right away." She sent me a dark look. "You know how Reyna is about punctuality."

I shivered, planting my own feet onto the ground. "That woman is vicious."

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><p>We could hear screaming from the end of the hall.<p>

Like always, everyone was settling matters with lots of yelling and drama. If this weren't a private organization, I would've recorded the entire event and sent it to a soap opera producer for reference.

"This isn't a matter that can wait! We need to get it back as soon as possible!"

Frank cringed, recognizing the voice of his superior. "That's probably Reyna."

"She doesn't sound too happy," I commented. "Are we late?"

Annabeth grabbed my arm and hurried up our pace. "Even if we were, she wouldn't be reacting this bad. They must be talking about something serious."

Reaching the door, Frank raised his hand, but before he could knock, a familiar curly-haired person yanked it wide open. .

"Grover!" Frank yelled, ready for a reunion hug.

"There's no time for introductions," he cut in, gasping for breath. "You better get in here fast. Reyna looks like she's about to blow her top, and Jason has no way of stopping her."

"Jason's here too?" I asked, trying my best to ignore Frank's kicked-puppy expression.

"I'm telling you that he is!" Grover sent a nervous glance behind him. "And from the looks of it, he's in some pretty deep doo-doo."

Frank peeked his head around Grover's shoulder, and shivered.

"Reyna, this isn't the end of the world."

"It actually kind of is," muttered someone else, who I immediately recognized as Nico.

_Just how many people are participating in this meeting?_

I pushed past Frank and Grover, Annabeth at my heels, and saw more members than I expected. Seated at the long table were Poseidon, Nico, Reyna, Jason, Luke, Ethan, and my mom. Wait, what?

"Mom?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I wanted to have a voice in these matters too. It's no use sitting around like a damsel in distress and letting things happen on their own. "

"But where's Tyson?" I hadn't seen him all day, and I was hoping it wasn't because he was avoiding seeing me.

My mom looked the other way. "I think it's best if you sit down for now. We'll get to that later."

Doing as she said, we all sat down, Annabeth by my left side and Grover at my right. Frank didn't seem too happy sitting in between Nico and Ethan.

"Alright," Poseidon coughed. "We're here to do two things. The first is to clarify the past, and the second is to plan the future. Are we all in agreement?"

Everyone in the room either grumbled a yes or nodded.

I didn't do anything.

"Now that it's settled, let's start with one of our more memorable events." Poseidon eyed Grover. "I noticed that some our newer members are a bit nervous around some of the people here. So I would like to make it clear that Nico Di' Angelo is not the enemy. Neither is Ethan Nakumura or Luke Castellan."

Grover avoided Poseidon's gaze. "I never-"

"What happened last year was a misunderstanding," my father continued. "Nico's time with The Army was a farce. He never intended to do any harm to Percy or his family. The video chat he set up with Kronos and his Titans was simply an elaborate play, and he was the puppet master. The gun going off, the death of Thalia, and everything that happened in between was the result of advanced special effects. Considering that he did this to protect them, despite the toll it would take on him, I can confidently say that these three boys are to be trusted."

Grover gulped, obviously afraid of what he was going to ask next. "I don't understand how."

This time, Nico himself answered. "Look, I can tell that you don't like me very much, but what I did was for a reason. After that happened, I had planned to infiltrate and tear apart Kronos's Army myself, but even then there was still the chance that some of them would survive and go after Percy and his family. The only way to avoid it was to make them think they were dead. Otherwise, they'd be the first targets to go down."

"Do you get it now?" Luke finished.

Grover shifted uncomfortably and nodded.

"Great," Poseidon said, more enthusiastic than was normal for this situation. "On to the next thing. You are all here because I summoned you, but does anyone actually know why?"

"You thought we were the best suited for the mission you're planning." Reyna spoke up.

"Right, and do you know the reason?"

This time Annabeth answered. "We're the most trusted, and we're also the only people who are willing to risk our lives."

Poseidon raised himself up high, looking like a proud teacher. "Exactly! While I wouldn't trust my own brothers and acquaintances in the U-Council, I can count on all of you."

"Is that why The Olympians still think we're all dead?" Annabeth asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.

"They don't think we're _all _dead." Reyna said. "Just Nico, Luke, Ethan, Percy, Tyson, Thalia, Sally, and Poseidon." She looked down at her hands where she'd been counting them all off on her fingers. "That might as well be half of us."

I frowned. "From what I know, Nico, Luke, and Ethan were supposed to have survived. Why do they think they're dead?"

"There was a follow-up video." Ethan replied, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "We sent it out to The Olympians and any Army member that might've escaped."

"It was a suicide note of sorts," Luke added. "In it, we supposedly killed ourselves alongside the bodies of Thalia and your family. The purpose was so that we could do our work without being chased after, and so that they wouldn't question where the bodies were if they tried to find them."

"That's sick," I commented, disgusted.

"This whole situation is sick," Nico spat, obviously insulted. "There was nothing else we could do and we were too short on time for anything else."

"I still don't think it's right," I grumbled. "Messing with other people's lives and treating them like toys. Poseidon's right. You're a puppet master, but one of the worst kind."

Nico shook, looking like he was going to snap back. Surprisingly he just turned back to Reyna and said, "It's your turn. Fill us in on what happened after."

She nodded, being one of the only people who didn't flinch when Nico addressed her. "Before we went into the main hall, Percy and I went different ways. I was supposed to go in through the back door, but as I was walking there, I bumped into Poseidon. I knew it was him because I've been told stories of how he looked since I was very young. Still, he gave me a fake name as a precaution and that's what I called him as we went to save Annabeth, and later do the same with Percy.

But as you all know, Percy didn't give us room to rescue him. He nearly blew himself up, and if it wasn't for Poseidon being near enough to get him out of the way, he would be gone for real right now."

I stiffened.

_There they go again, with the "if it wasn't for Poseidon" talk. _

Reyna didn't seem to notice and went on. "After that, I took Annabeth back with me to Half-Blood Alley and got her recuperated, while Poseidon went with Percy to The Academy in California. I was under strict orders not to tell anyone that he was alive." At this, Reyna sent Annabeth and my mom an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but he would've been in danger if either of you had known."

"That still doesn't explain why _I _couldn't know my family wasn't dead" I said.

Poseidon sighed. "Percy, we've been over this."

"Not in front of my mom," I smirked, knowing how scary she could be when something had to do with her 'little baby boy'. "Let's see what she has to say to your reasons."

My mom raised an eyebrow, for once looking Poseidon straight in the eye. That simple action was enough to make him visibly pale.

"Yes, Poseidon. Tell us your reasons." She said, her voice coated in an eerie tone.

Despite his obvious fright, my father sat up straighter and faced my mom face-on. A small part of me respected him for that, like it did so many of his other actions. It was the part of me that I wanted to keep hidden.

"I thought it was best to keep him away from any distractions." He replied.

"Like his family and friends?" My mom asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Exactly." Poseidon said, gaining momentum. "Is there a problem with that, Sally?"

Mom looked at me for a moment, and then sat back. "I think it'd be better if we went on with the meeting."

_I agree._

"Right," Annabeth cut in. "Good idea. I think it's my turn?"

Frank nodded, not able to muster a word after seeing my parents get at it.

"After I got back on my feet, Reyna told me about a secret organization separate from the Olympians and The Army. She told me that it was founded with only select members, and that the leader was a man named Poseidon." At this, she gestured at my father. "It was supposedly made to handle the things no other group would. She described it being a bit like a freelance type of job, and that's why I'm here now. I spent the time Percy was away, training my body and mind here, while still acting like a normal person outside of work."

Reyna nodded. "The same thing with me. While I'm still Praetor of Rome alongside Jason, I also remain loyal to this unnamed group."

"You didn't have to mention that," Grover grumbled. "We just haven't thought of anything cool enough."

"I say we go with Mythofreaks, in honor of fetus Nico," Luke smirked.

"Shut it." Nico glared at the table in front of him, going red.

"Anyway," Annabeth cut in, "Now we have a problem, and what that issue is, only Ethan knows."

Everyone's eyes swerved to where he sat, mindlessly picking at his shirt.

"What? Is it my turn for story time?" He asked.

No one responded, so he sighed. "Alright then, where should I start? Er…let's see…AH! I Know! I noticed it the night before she caught me."

"Who caught you?" I asked, not even knowing what he'd been caught _doing._

"Shh," Ethan said, finger to his lips. "I didn't interrupt you guys, so _please_ don't interrupt me. Anyways, two weeks ago I was given a very simple mission by none other than Poseidon himself." At this he nodded to my father. "Athena was having a meeting with some important businessmen and I had the special job of listening in. It was supposed to be a fast go in and get-the-hell-out kind of thing…except that's not how things turned out.

I remembered Poseidon mentioning a mission like this to me once. Apparently, Ethan had listened in while hanging on a chandelier, though how he'd managed to get on it, I had no idea.

Ethan laid his chin on interlocked hands and thought for a bit. "The whole conversation had been about stolen papers that they needed to get back, and it ended pretty quick.

After they'd left, I waited nearly two hours to make sure they were really gone. It wasn't until then that I moved, thinking nobody else had stayed. As it turned out, Athena was there the entire time, hiding in the shadows until she was absolutely sure no one was listening in."

Grover leaned forward, his eyes wide like a child listening in on an exciting story. "What happened next?"

Ethan smirked, amused by Grover's antics. "She nearly killed me."

"Huh?" Frank gasped.

"Athena pulled on one of the ropes that held up the chandelier," Ethan continued. "I was a halfway up the ground, when she stopped the crash and threatened me with letting go unless I told her who I was."

"You told her about us, didn't you?" Reyna asked, narrowing her eyes.

Ethan fainted being insulted. "You should trust me more than that! Of course I didn't. All I did was say that I was a friend who was trying to help."

"So she let you go just like that?"

Dropping his cocky attitude for once, Ethan nervously avoided Reyna's glare. "That's what I thought. Somehow she followed me all the way here and found out about everything on her own."

"Dude!" Luke smacked Ethan upside the head. "What were you thinking!?"

"Let him finish," Poseidon cut in. "It's because of that event that we have an upper hand now."

"I don't see how we could," Luke grumbled.

Ethan cleared his throat, this time scooting a bit farther away from his friend. "A few days later, she cornered me and told me she knew what we were up to. Except, she wasn't angry like I thought she'd be. Somehow, she knew we were trying to help and even though she admitted to hating his guts, Athena said that she trusted Poseidon. After that, I convinced them to meet, and we formed an alliance. It didn't take long, but there were conditions.

Athena would help us get rid of the rest of the surviving Army Members. She'd make it possible for us to go back to our normal lives and stop pretending to be dead, as long as we did something for her."

Nico frowned, a common sight for him. "Don't tell me…she wants us to get back her precious stolen papers."

"Not exactly." Ethan let out a deep breath. "She wants us to retrieve something much more important."

"What could be more important than her material?" Frank asked.

My arm fell limp as a thought struck me. From what I knew, Athena and Poseidon had a long-time rivalry that they wouldn't overcome for just anything. If the situation were really that bad, then it meant the thing that had been taken from her was-

"The Mark of Athena." I clenched my hands as I looked everyone around me in the eye. "The thing stolen from her…it's The Mark of Athena."

"And…what's that?"

I looked at Frank, shocked that he wasn't familiar with something so important.

"It's a seal," I answered. "Every Olympian has one."

Frank still looked very confused. "Why would she want us to risk our lives for that?"

"You don't get it," I snapped. "The Mark of Athena is a symbol of power. The Olympians have one each, and every one of them is unique. You could look for the rest of your life and never find one like it in your entire lifetime."

"Alright, we get it. It's important stuff." Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Why are you getting so worked up about it? Aren't you usually Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky?"

"Don't call me that. I'm just being careful," I clenched my fists under the table. "That seal can do a lot of damage if the wrong person gets their hands on it."

"The point of bringing this up isn't to start an argument," Poseidon interrupted. "I'm going to propose a plan, and I want to know whether all of you are willing to risk anything to do it."

"What is it?" Frank asked.

Poseidon shook his head. "I need to know if you're willing to face anything first. Whoever leaves this room right now will not be counted as a coward. This is your last chance to back out."

The whole table remained silent. Not a single person moved from their seat, and there wasn't a hint of uncertainty on anyone's face.

We'd already risked too much to back away now. It was either run away or take what we started to the end. Though it wasn't the easiest choice, we all chose the latter.

"You should give us more credit," Ethan commented. "None of us are cowards, you know."

Poseidon sighed. "I apologize, but I needed to know. This isn't something as simple as those last missions, and there's no guarantee that it will come to anything."

"Then spit it out already," I snapped, though I had an inkling about what it was that he wanted us to do.

"I need you all to split up and find the Mark of Athena," Poseidon said. "It was stolen last year, and we'd hoped to recover it by now, but…we still have no clue where it could be."

"Then how can you expect us to find it if you don't know where it is?" Luke asked.

"We've narrowed it down to two places. It'll be either in Mexico or Greece."

"And if it's not actually there?" Nico asked. "What'll happen?"

"Thousands of innocent people get sent to their deaths and whoever stole the Mark gets control over all of Athena's territory," I replied. "What did you expect?"

"Exactly," Poseidon replied. "But not only that. If our enemies see that Athena can have something so important stolen right under her nose, they'll start to believe that it is possible for them to do this to all Olympians. It'll essentially raise their ego's and make them think they're capable of bringing them down."

"That makes sense," Nico remarked. "Unless we find the person who stole the Mark, and punish them, our enemies will think that they have free reign to do whatever they please."

"So, what? We have to bend to Athena's wishes and stoop below the Olympians like before?" Luke scoffed. "I thought we were independent now, but we're exactly the same."

"Not exactly," Poseidon commented. "Athena may be threatening us, but I seriously doubt she can actually do anything. She's putting on a tough face because she doesn't want to look weak, and wants to hide the fact that we can still decline."

"Then lets not help her," Ethan said. "Plain and simple as that."

"We can't do that." I looked at my hands, feeling everyone's eyes swiveling in my direction. "You're all acting like idiots. Sure, you may hate the Olympians, but this isn't just about whether you like them or not. Whoever has the Mark of Athena could do nearly anything to anyone in the world and get away with it."

"Can't Athena fix the problem herself?" Frank said tentatively. "She's the owner of The Mark…so doesn't that mean she can, you know, deactivate it?"

"She won't do it," Poseidon scoffed, his dislike of Athena made clear. "She's too prideful to admit that she lost it."

"It's not that," I frowned. "You're not thinking about the whole idea. If she 'deactivates' The Mark like Frank said, everything she'd stamped up to now would also be put on hold. Either way, lives would be taken unless we get it back."

"So you agree to the mission?" Poseidon asked. I could tell that by the look in his eye that he knew what was going on in my head. He knew that there was a bigger reason for me wanting to help.

Ignoring the curious glances of Frank and Nico, I nodded. "I'll do it by myself if I have to."

"You aren't doing this on your own," Annabeth spoke up. "I agree to go also."

I grimaced, for a second wanting to make her take back her answer. It'd been so long that I'd last been together with Annabeth, and I didn't want that chance to be ruined again. I wanted her to be safe, yet I also knew she wasn't some damsel in distress, and I had no right to hold her back.

Annabeth was brave, and besides, I was sure that after a year of training, she was able to handle herself completely. There was absolutely no way that she'd end up like-like _him_.

I bunched my jeans into a ball, trembling from the memories.

My fault.

_The flames were lapping at his arms…consuming, burning, tearing apart his-_

"_Go! Don't worry about me!"_

My fault.

_Olive skin, corroding, blackening-_

"_Save yourself! We've failed the mission already!"_

_No longer looking like flesh…Crows feathers…torn and blackened like-_

My fault.

_Crows feathers, and, and, and, and, and, AND-_

"Percy?"

I blinked, realizing I'd missed an entire five-minutes worth of conversation. Again.

Whoops.

In the background, I heard my 'father' speaking. His deep voice took up the entire room. "Leaving this room, there is no running away. If you decide that you don't want to partake in this mission, then you may leave this entire organization completely."

He stood. "Get a good night's sleep and make sure to pack your bags for tomorrow." Poseidon gave us each a meaningful look. "And be prepared to say goodbye to those who aren't in your group. You may not be seeing them for a longtime…if ever."

With that, everyone stood and slowly walked out of the room. On his way out, Frank gave me a small pat on the back, as if he knew what had just happened to me.

Out of everyone in the room, he understood the most.

The only person left, besides me, was Annabeth. She was still looking at me with those worried grey eyes of hers, and it wasn't until I saw _how _she was looking at me that I noticed the small tremors going through my body.

"Are you alright?" She asked, waiting intently for me to answer.

I relaxed the grip on my pants, and forced a smile onto my face. "Yeah, sorry. I must've zoned out a bit."

"That seemed like more than just 'zoning out'", Annabeth pointed out. "You look downright awful."

Feigning hurt, I gave Annabeth one of my signature kicked-puppy pouts. "That isn't something a boyfriend wants to hear from his girlfriend. It's not very nice."

Not falling for it, Annabeth punched me lightly on the shoulder. "I'm serious, Seaweed Brain. You're pale as a sheet!"

"I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about…Scratch that. I need some more sleep."

Annabeth scoffed. "You really weren't paying attention, were you?"

I thought for a moment. I couldn't remember anything past the Annabeth agreeing to the mission, and then…_and then the flames consumed him._

"You're doing it again."

"Hm?" I blinked hard, and focused on Annabeth's face.

Seeing the furrow between her eyebrows, I mentally cursed. Involving her in my "little problem" wasn't something I wanted to do.

Before she could voice her anguish, I pulled Annabeth into a tight hug, catching her by surprise.

"Stop worrying, Wise Girl." I grinned into her shoulder. "As long as I'm with you, I'm the happiest guy in the world."

"You're so cheesy," She groaned, nevertheless wrapping her arms around me too. "Sometimes I wonder why we're together."

"Because you can't stand to be apart from me?" I teased.

A moment of silence passed. I chuckled, practically seeing the war between pride and truth going on inside Annabeth's head.

Finally, she sighed. "I guess that isn't a _complete_ lie."

"It's okay," I whispered. "I won't let anyone know that you're completely in for me."

"You better not," Annabeth fake-scolded. "You won't hear the end of it if you do."

I closed my eyes, burying my face into her lemon-scented hair. "Hearing your voice all the time isn't a bad punishment."

Annabeth stayed silent, squeezing my shoulder as a response.

Being with her was my breath of fresh air. It was the only thing that made me forget everything that had been tormenting me for months.

It was the only thing that at least quieted the sound of tortured screams…muffled the smell of acrid flesh.

* * *

><p><em>I could easily see the smoke coming out of his mouth.<em>

_The fire was now inside of him._

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was much longer than the last one, and that's kind of how the rest will be. :)<strong>

**Review, favorite, follow?**

**Next update will be on Monday, 12 January 2015**


	3. For Nothing

**Here's your update! Enjoy and such. I'm so proud! I updated two stories in the same hour. :3**

**Thank to my beta-reader, Annabeth Brady!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the character's in this story, only the plot...**

* * *

><p><strong>ANNABETH'S POV<strong>

Today was our last day in New York and it wasn't even a full twenty-four hours in the city. Everything was packed and ready to go, the only thing missing being a few extra rations and deadly weapons. For something arranged so last-minute, we were remarkably well-prepared. It was strange that Poseidon readied our transportation so quickly.

When I'd asked him about it, he simply smirked and said, "I've learned to adapt over my years of hiding and expect the expected."

He'd winked afterwards, and I had a feeling that was his way of telling me that he'd planned this mission all along. It made sense too because it was clear that this mission was benefiting him also. If we _did_ manage to attain The Mark, Athena would be indebted to him for years to come.

Looking at Percy's expression now, I was sure we were going to find it. He was going so determined to retrieve The Mark, that even I was a bit scared. Before now, I'd never seemed him so set on accomplishing something. It was almost as if he'd encountered the effects of The Mark during his time away, and it'd left him with a permanent impression, one that I felt had something to do with him "spacing out" yesterday.

Remembering the haunted look on his face, and the way he shook as he gripped whatever he could, I thought back on what Poseidon had told me before I saw Percy again.

"_He's the same person, but…he didn't escape the bomb unscathed."_

I sighed, wondering about the hidden meaning behind those words. When I'd first opened the door to Percy's room, he seemed perfectly fine. At first glance, he was the same as he'd always been, but…_really _looking at him I could see that there was something horribly off. It wasn't the physical things, like the paleness of his face or the weariness in his stance, there was another thing, hidden deep within his eyes.

It was definitely something in his eyes. Not just that hidden fear, but the way they flickered from reality, which was oh-so-easy to miss. If I wasn't paying attention, I wouldn't have seen it, but it was there…and it frightened me.

"You've been staring at Percy for an eternity."

If I wasn't so used to Nico's random appearances, I would've jumped like the others. "Do you think he's noticed?"

"Nah." Nico stepped out from his hiding spot near the food ration crates. "He's too busy doing his last-minute packing. He's a worse procrastinator than my father."

I pursed my lips, not wanting to let slip that the reason Percy wasn't packing for our trip until now was because he hadn't been entirely there when Posiedon told us we'd be leaving the next day.

Instead I asked, "Hades is your father, right?"

"That's not the name I knew him by, but yeah." Nico sighed. "The amount of bodies he hasn't readied for funeral services is ridiculous. He just stacks them in our living room and hopes to leave them there forever."

"Right…"

"Sorry," Nico apologized, though not really sounding that guilty. "You probably didn't need to know that.

"It's okay. All information is important." My eyes flickered to Percy. "Have you noticed anything strange about him?"

Nico followed my line of sight, where at the end stood Percy filling crates and talking to Jason. They looked perfectly at ease, standing in the middle of a dark and abandoned warehouse hidden away underground.

Like they were used to it.

"No, I haven't been paying enough attention to notice anything," Nico replied.

He was obviously lying. There were many times when I caught him looking at Percy, more than he does at everyone else. He wouldn't blink for a long moment, and simply stare, as if trying to analyze him.

I sighed, picking up a sack of mini smoke bombs. "I guess it's me overthinking it then…see you in an hour."

"Okay," Nico replied, distracted.

I kept walking, my steps silent on the way out. Just as I was about to pass the exit, I turned around and saw what I expected.

Nico was glaring at Percy from the shadows, face expressing complete and utter hatred.

* * *

><p>We stood across from each other. Nico Percy, Frank, and I were standing next to a fancy-looking black car, while Luke, Ethan, Jason, and Reyna stood next to a beat-up looking blue one.<p>

This was the last time we would see each other in person until we achieved out goal.

Poseidon had split us into two groups so that we could find The Mark of Athena faster. I didn't know why exactly he chose us to be with the people we were with, but I didn't voice a word, and neither did Nico who'd been avoiding talking to any of us.

"So…" Frank started. "I guess this is goodbye."

Jason smiled. "Do your best, Zhang. Make The Legion proud."

"I'll try my best," Frank promised, clasping Jason's hand in a handshake.

It seemed like their farewell was the cue for others to join in as well. The first was Percy, who also went to say goodbye to Jason.

"Bear hug?" He asked, grinning widely.

Jason dramatically puffed up his chest, and opened his arms wide.

I rolled my eyes at the same time that Reyna said, "That's looks more like a teddy bear hug."

We shared an exasperated look and then bid each other goodbye also.

"Good luck with your boy," I teased.

"I'd wish you luck also, but I don't think you need it." Reyna glanced at Percy and Jason who were currently thumping each others backs with enough strength to make one of them cough up a lung. "You're the only person I know who can control that temper of his."

By this, I could tell she meant Percy.

"And you're the only person I know who can win Jason's affection," I replied.

Reyna nervously laughed and I could understand why. It was no secret between us that Reyna had feelings for Jason, while he only saw her as a friend. Still, I felt that this mission was her chance to open his eyes. He was the only one who I felt could take away some of that loneliness she had hidden away inside her.

"Thanks, but…I don't think this would be an appropriate time for romance." Reyna glanced at Jason who was now pulling Nico into an awkward hug too. "Besides, I've already tried."

I nodded, not intending to push Reyna into something she didn't want to do.

Behind me, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw that it was Luke with a very silent Ethan at his side.

Luke held out his hand, waiting for me to take it. "I can tell you don't like me very much, but we're still a team, right? We should act friendly."

Reluctantly, I took his hand and shook it.

He was right. I didn't like him at all. Not after what he did to my best friend.

"Listen, I get that I lied to Thalia. I know it was wrong, and I wish we could've done things differently, but I only did it to keep her alive." Luke lowered his voice. "I really do care about her, and if there's any way you could tell me where she is, then-"

"She joined The Hunters of Artemis," I interrupted. "She can no longer date men."

_Though, I wouldn't exactly count Luke as a man._

"Oh…"

I would've felt pity for the crestfallen look on Luke's face if I hadn't know everything that he'd done. He'd used Thalia, and then left her without a word for months. If he'd only talked to her a week ago, he might've been able to convince her before joining, but now it was too late.

Thalia was a Hunter, one of Artemis's followers, destined to hunt down criminals and never be with a man. Even now, I didn't know where she could be.

I said one quick final goodbye, and followed Nico into the car. Like always, he was the first to separate himself from the others.

Outside, we could hear Percy making some lame joke about light bulbs and then getting a prompt smack from Reyna.

I sighed, "He deserved that one."

Nico grunted. "Wish I could give him a slap also."

I inspected Nico's face, but caught no sign of that being a joke. "You've been acting colder towards him lately. Did he do something to you?"

"I don't know." He didn't even deny the way he was treating Percy.

"I also noticed that you lied to me when I asked if you've seen anything weird about him," I remarked. "Actually, you give Percy more attention than all of us combined."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"Nico, do you…" I paused. "Hate him?"

Nico clenched his hands into fists and looked away. "Something like that."

* * *

><p>It had taken an hour for us to arrive at the harbor, but when we finally got there, we were dressed completely different from what we wore on a regular basis.<p>

On the way there, our mysterious driver had stopped by a hidden-away shop and told us to follow him so that we could change into our disguises. According to Poseidon, we looked too ordinary for our destination.

Before we knew it, all the guys were wearing fancy white tuxedos, and I was wearing a long white gown. I had no idea what was with the blinding choice of color, except that I wasn't all that comfortable with wearing a dress. I wasn't used it.

Standing in front of our ride, I could see why looking well-dressed was so necessary.

"This is…fancy," Frank said, gaping at the huge ship before us.

Nico used his finger to lift Frank's chin and shut his mouth. "Stop staring or you'll make it obvious that we don't belong here."

Despite having quite the amount of money himself, Nico looked uneasy. It was hard to blame him, considering the monster towering over us.

The cruise ship was nearly eight stories high, and like us, it was completely white. I had to crane my neck to see it, but at the bow, there was an enormous golden carving of a young princess in chains wearing a horrified expression. The ornament looked somewhat vulgar, being put onto such an elegant ship. It was almost as if the sole purpose of the ocean liner's design was to display the victim's misery to the world.

On the side of the ship, in equally golden lettering, was written the name:

_S.S. Princess Andromeda_

"So, are we just going to walk in like normal, or de we have to act like we're rich?" Frank asked.

I looked down at our hundred and something dollar getup and sighed. "I suppose we're going to have to go in like we own the place. Not all rich people act that way, but-"

"He left."

"Hm?" I looked to where Nico was pointing and gasped. "That idiot!"

Percy, eager to get to the action as always, had already gone ahead of us. In the second I'd stopped paying attention, he'd already strutted his way over to the ticket booth and called the man working there a peasant.

"Oh, no he didn't."

"Please be quiet, Frank," I said. Glaring at Nico, I added, "Why didn't you stop him?"

Nico shrugged, playing it innocent.

Ignoring the urge to smack Nico, I sighed again and trudged forward. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Come on."

Nearing the booth, I could hear Percy scoffing at the poor ticket boy. If I wasn't mistaken, the worker looked younger than us…but then that couldn't be true.

"So you mean to say that _my _menu has _seafood_ in it?"

"Sir, we could easily change that." The boy's face was red with embarrassment. "Just give me a moment to call the staff."

"Fine, but I'm only going easy on you because my lovely Annabelle is here." Saying this, Percy wrapped an arm around my waist and pecked me on the nose. "I'm glad to see you made it, darling."

Behind the rich-guy act, I could see that Percy was enjoying this way too much than he should've been. If we weren't doing this for the sake of fitting in, I would've stepped on his overly-polished shoe.

"I could never miss seeing you, my dear," I cooed, nearly gagging at my own actions.

In that brief moment of torture, the boy had finished setting the menu to Percy's demands and gave a nervous smile. "It's all been arranged, sir."

Grinning, Percy took out a huge wad of cash and handed it to the staff worker, much to all of our surprise.

"Keep the change," he said, and then proceeded to walk up the boat, a rather silent Nico and Frank in our wake.

Once we were on the deck, Frank managed to ask, "How much money _was _that?"

Percy thought for a second and then shrugged. "I dunno. Like, five-hundred dollars."

"WHAT?!"

"Keep your voice down, Zhang." Nico looked around to make sure no one had heard, but the top deck was empty. It seemed everyone was inside due to the cold weather.

"It was fun playing around at first, but then I felt bad and thought I'd make up for it with a tip." Percy pulled me closer to him and grinned. "Plus, it was pretty fun calling you darling."

"Oh, shut up," I snapped, but made no move to pull away. Instead, I made a gesture towards a door to our right. "We should explore a little. That way, if anything happens, we could find an escape."

Nico nodded. "I agree with Annabeth. We have to make sure to have a backup plan just in case."

"Alright," Percy nodded also. "Let's go!"

Hearing the excitement in Percy's voice, I felt a tinge of hope well up inside me. Maybe all he needed was to have a distraction from whatever it was that bothered him, and he'd be okay. It could be that the reason Poseidon had given us this mission, was to somehow help Percy recover.

Yet, regardless of what I felt, I couldn't help but think that while this trip could make Percy's burden lighter…it could also possibly make it worse.

And I didn't think he could take much more.

* * *

><p>If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the ballroom was the bulk of the ship. The space itself was huge, and I could hardly see the end of it with all the people sitting down for dinner. Nearly everything in the room was either white or gold, and it didn't take me long to realize that those were the themed colors of the ship.<p>

The meals hadn't been served yet, but from the kitchen, everyone could smell the intoxicating aroma of world cuisine. Even Nico, who was prone to having a low appetite, was clutching his stomach in anticipation.

After taking a look around the ship, and discovering that though it looked neat from the outside, the placement of everything was a jumbled mess from the inside, there was an announcement delivered to all the passengers. According to the captain, we were all to meet in the ballroom for a welcome dinner put together by all the staff.

It was a miracle that they could arrange something so intricate for the thousands of guests aboard the ship, and even though I wanted to look some more, I knew it would eventually catch someone's attention and make them suspicious.

"Excuse me, would you like to have anything to drink besides water?"

Getting snapped out of my thoughts, I coughed and answered the waiter. "Yes please. I'll have and Arnold Palmer."

The man nodded, and walked away without another word, making Percy raise a brow.

"Don't you think the staff is acting a bit…robotic?"

Frank took a sip of his water. "I noticed it too, but what's even weirder is that they all look younger than us."

On that, I had to agree, but it wasn't just the staff members. Nearly everyone on this ship was a teenager, and those who weren't seemed to be the bosses.

"Don't you know?" Across from us, a girl who'd apparently been listening in, put down her glass cup and flipped back her long blonde hair. "Our parents sent us here because they wanted a break."

"A break?" I asked.

This time, a pretty-looking African American girl answered. "They got tired of us and sent us here. The _Princess Andromeda _specializes in taking in troubled teens."

"They told you it was a 'vacation', right?" The green-eyed blond said. "Well, it is…for them."

"That's harsh," Frank commented.

"Not really. I don't like being around the anyway," The blonde smiled. "My name's Callie by the way, and she's Hazel."

"Nice to meet you." Using our fake names, Percy introduced all of us. "I'm Peter and my girlfriend here is Annabelle. They're Nick and Francis."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Percy holding back a laugh when saying Frank's cover name.

"You have a bit of a New Yorker accent," Hazel commented. "I'm guessing you're from here?"

Percy scratched the back of his head. "Ah, yeah. I'm guessing you guys aren't, then?"

"No," she answered. "Most of us aren't. Most of the kids here are were picked up at New Orleans, like me."

"So nearly _everyone _here is from New Orleans?" Frank questioned, a bit confused.

When Hazel turned her attention to him, I could see Frank's ears go red, but she didn't seem to notice.

Hazel took out an invitation from her purse and handed it to a flustered Frank. "We aren't _all _from New Orleans, only me and a few others. What I meant to say was that that's where the ship's first stop was. It was where the opening ceremony was held…the one that we attended before boarding."

Nico leaned in to take a peek at the sheet of paper.

"_We are proud to present to you the world's first cruise liner designed to carry teens, and only teens." _He read. _"This program was designed to give wealthy children a chance to relax from the hardships of a luxurious life, while at the same time giving them a vacation from those pesky parents. Welcome, members of the elite Titan program…"_

Nico's voice trailed off, and he looked up with a wary expression. "That's an-um-interesting name for a program. Who's the person behind this?"

"No one knows," Callie shrugged. "He doesn't even have a cover name."

"What about a logo?" Nico asked. "Does he have a symbol or-"

"A scythe," She interrupted.

Hearing this, Frank and Percy frowned, but neither reacted like Nico or I. The moment we heard the words escape Callie's mouth, our eyes met in a shared belief.

_We need to get out of here. _

_Now._

"Ah, excuse me." I stood up. "I need to talk to…Nick for a second."

Immediately, Nico got up from his seat too. "Yeah, we'll be right back. Um..cheerio!"

Percy chuckled, this time not even bothering to hide it. "Dude, I don't think that one's been used in centuries."

"Shut up, I don't know how to act rich!" Nico whisper-yelled, much to Hazel and Callie's confusion.

"Just-come on!" I snapped.

We were about to exit the room, when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I nearly stumbled in fear at the ghostly face of one of the waiters.

"Excuse me miss, but I would appreciate it if you sat back down," He said.

Putting on a brave face, I grabbed Nico's arm and tried to go past the man. Just as we were about to escape, he shot out his hand and pushed us both firmly back into our seats.

"I'm sorry," He used a more forceful voice this time. "None of the guests are to leave their seats. You'll thank me later."

"Who ordered that?" Nico asked, tone slightly irritated.

"The Boss," was all the waiter said. "Now, stay in your seats…the show is about to begin."

Before we could say another word, a loud voice boomed throughout the ballroom, blocking any other sound.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is The Boss speaking. Please refrain from leaving your seats until further notice."

I inwardly cringed at the choice of words.

In my experience, telling a teenager _not _to do something, was like telling them to go right ahead and do it. Telling this to a group of filthy rich teenagers would only make it worse. If there was a consequence to those who stood up, I had a feeling that a lot of people would be getting into trouble today.

As predicted, a lot of kids started grumbling at being bossed around, and many of them stood defiantly and walked around.

A few feet away from me, I could see Percy wanting to join in as well. If it wasn't for me shaking my head at him, he probably would have done it.

Hearing what The Boss's muffled voice said next, I was overwhelmingly glad he'd stayed put.

"Those who disobey…will be shot on the spot." The man paused. "You have five seconds to sit back down…_five_…"

Nearly half of the people on their feet, backed down. Those who did stay up, mostly scoffed and made comments about this all being a farce.

"My dad may be an asshole, but he wouldn't send me on a trip with lunatics!" Someone yelled.

Like a domino effect, other kids joined in too.

"I will sue this company for all it's worth! You can't scare people like this!"

"…_four…"_

"Who's speaking? Let us see your face!"

"…_three…"_

From the shadows, a group of people in white suits and masks appeared, holding guns.

"…_two…"_

With haste, another seventy kids sat down.

"Cowards!" One of the guys scowled at those who obeyed. "They can't do anything to us!"

"…_one…"_

The remaining people quickly sat down when they saw the men preparing to shoot. Only that one defiant guy stayed on his feet…that is, until thousands of tiny red holes appeared on his body.

The shots were silent, and none of the men had aimed at his face. They didn't need to.

The boy swayed for another five seconds, and the look on his face remained blank as he looked down at himself. I could only imagine what he was thinking when the little gun wounds scattered through his body began to bloom into a crimson red. It was then, that I could see why we were all to wear white. The stark contrast between the color of paper and that of blood was a very easy thing to take advantage of.

When the boy finally fell face-first, we all knew that he was gone.

He was dead, and if we didn't find a way out of this situation, we would be dead too.

Again, the booming voice began to resonate. "As you can all see, this child was very naughty. He didn't obey, and as punishment, we have gotten rid of him."

No one dared speak.

"The same thing will happen to you all if you _ever _decide to not abide by our rules. You are no longer in control of your actions. From this moment onwards, you will be obligated to carry out every command we give you. Any questions?"

For a moment no one moved, and I was surprised when the one who did was Hazel. From the way she curled in on herself, she wasn't exactly the bravest candidate I'd expect to speak.

"Who are you?" She asked.

I could almost hear the smirk in the responder's voice. "Why, we're Kronos's Army, and everyone in this room is now a Titan. Welcome to the club! Our Army members here will escort you to your prisons."

Following The Boss's orders right away, our table and all the others were surrounded by guards. It wasn't long before I felt a surprisingly gentle hold on my shoulder, and was made to stand.

"Come on." The voice belonged to the same ghostly waiter from before.

I obeyed for now, knowing that I couldn't act rash if I wanted to escape. I had to wait and come up with a plan.

The last thing I saw before being separated from the others, was Percy's face. There was tension in his jaw and he looked like he might just snap at any moment.

When our eyes met, I could tell we were both thinking the same thing.

_We weren't the only ones who had survived the bomb, and Percy's sacrifice had been for nothing._

_Damn._

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this <strong>**chappy. :)**

**Next update: Sometime next week.**


	4. El Ángel

**New chappie, new chappie, everyone go "woot" for the new chappie.**

**Yeahhh. This one isn't a big deal. The next one is pretty interesting though. ;P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I sure do own the headache I'm having right now. Sheesh.**

**Thank you verryyyyy much to my beta: The fantabulous Annabeth Brady! **

* * *

><p><strong>REYNA'S POV-<strong>

I had to hand it to Poseidon that he was great at last-minute planning. Our luggage had already been taken care of when we arrived at the International Airport of México city, and we'd even found a taxi near the entrance to drive us to our hotel.

All was completely fine…until we had to find the meeting place. Though I'd admit that Poseidon was a pro at travel, that skill didn't help him much in scavenger hunting.

"So let me get this straight," Ethan said once again. "Poseidon wants us to meet with someone very important at eight o'clock tonight, but he didn't bother to tell you who it is or at least _where_ we had to meet them?"

I sighed. "He said to find the letter 'S' and look at it's reflection. That's the only clue he gave me. We have to figure the rest our ourselves."

"Oh, well great." Luke fell backwards onto his bed with a _thump_. "_Let's send a bunch of kids on a mission and not tell them what to do!_ What a smart way of thinking!"

"Now, guys. Let's calm down for a second and think." Jason gestured to me. "What Reyna told us makes sense. Find the 'S' and look at it's reflection. That sounds logical! Maybe we could find something reflective, like a mirror or water and-"

"Speaking of water," Luke interrupted, "I remember seeing a sign that led to a pool here. I could use a dunk."

Luke jumped up and mock-saluted us. "I'll be back in an hour!"

Just as I was about to go after him, Ethan grabbed me by the arm and shook his head. "Don't."

"Why not?" I hissed. "We're on a serious mission, and he's out there enjoying the hotel. We need to find the meeting spot."

"Look, like Luke, I didn't want to come to this mission either. It's pointless that we split from the Olympians just to rely on them for work. In all honesty, I'm pissed off, but there's nothing we can do now." Ethan paused for breath. "I know how Luke thinks, and I know you want him to help, but it's pointless to chase after him. How can you expect to lead if you don't even know where you're supposed to lead us?"

"I don't want to lead." I leaned against the cream wall. "This is a group mission. We're all supposed to work together, but he's acting like he's the only one risking his life."

"It's no use trying to force him into something. He'll have to come around for himself."

"And what if he doesn't?" I asked Ethan. "What if he grows more…well…angry?"

"Then…expect the worst," He answered.

I frowned, but refused to keep the topic going any longer. Luke was the type of person who could switch loyalties very easily if given a good reason, and so far, reasons to hate this unnamed group was the only thing he was getting. There was still the chance to keep him from switching over, but Ethan's words weren't exactly reassuring me.

I glanced at Jason who stayed seated in one of the plush olive-green chairs. He seemed to be deep in thought about the clue I mentioned earlier.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"What's the name of this hotel again?"

I thought for a moment, and then remembered. "It's called the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel and Towers. Why?"

"I think I know how we can find the meeting spot."

With that, he got up and walked over to our small bags of luggage and pulled out a laptop. Using the hotel Wi-Fi, he searched up the name of where we were staying.

I simply watched, knowing that, with patience, I'd figure out what he was doing.

After a few minutes he turned the screen in our direction, and pointed to a picture of a crystal-clear pool with a giant 'S' at the bottom. "There. I found the clue."

Ethan grinned. "It's a good thing we didn't stop Luke from going."

Jason nodded, agreeing, and then stood. "Come on. Let's go for a swim."

* * *

><p>"Oh hey guys." Luke waved when he saw us walk in. "I was just about to tell you that I found the clue."<p>

"Too late," Ethan smirked. "Jason beat you to it."

"Ah, well I tried." Luke backstroked over to us, having the sense to at least get out of our way.

Leaning down, I squinted into the water and looked up at the wall across from the pool. The entire thing was made up of one giant window that provided us with a perfect view of downtown México city and it's buildings. If I tilted me head to the side, I could see the faint reflection of an'S' on the glass. It was right over the brightest spot in the city.

"That's where we're supposed to meet," I said. "The Angel of Independence."

"It makes sense," Jason commented. "That's the first thing I noticed when I looked out the window. It's actually a very beautiful place to meet at."

"Maybe the meeting place being beautiful is a sign that the person we're meeting is beautiful too." Luke wiggled an eyebrow suggestively, floating around in the strangely empty pool.

"Don't start getting ideas," I warned. "Anyway, I'm heading back to the room to grab a coat and warm up. It's almost eight and it's supposed to be cold tonight."

"Sounds good," Ethan commented. "I'll make some hot chocolate from the packets they gave us."

Jason nodded excitedly. "Room service also left us some brownies with jelly spread. They taste _really _good."

"You ate without us?" Ethan asked. "_Dude."_

Jason scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was hungry."

"Whatever. Let's go before they drop off the rest of our food."

At my mention of food, Ethan and Jason ran out the door, practically shoving each other out of the way

Seeing that they were out the door, I turned too look back at Luke. "You coming too?"

Luke opened his mouth and then closed it again, unsure of what to say. Throughout the entire talk about food, he'd been completely quiet and it made me realize that there was more to his attitude than met the eye.

The only times that Luke seemed to fit in were when everyone was arguing, and that was mostly because Ethan usually backed him up. Otherwise, he kept to himself and refused to offer any opinions to the group.

I thought it was time to change that, and stop judging him like I had for the past year.

"Sure," Luke answered. "I've been getting pretty hungry too."

Before he pulled himself out, I held out a hand, knowing full well that he could either pull me down with him or accept it and be helped up.

He smiled and grabbed my hand. "Thanks."

He let himself be pulled up.

* * *

><p>"You weren't lying about it being cold," Jason commented, shivering beneath his four coats.<p>

"It's not that bad," Ethan said. "You're just too used to California weather."

*"It's eighteen degrees Fahrenheit!" Jason clutched at his scarf and blew out a puff of white air. "How is this not cold?"

Luke scoffed. "Child's play."

Before they could walk into a group of girls, I shot out my arm. "Pay attention. We're here."

Though it looked amazing in the day, at night the Angel of Independence had it's own special shine to it. Standing 148 feet tall (according to Annabeth), and held high by an ornate pedestal, was the statue of a golden angel representing Victory. It's wings and body sparkled with the twinkle of city lights, and the equally majestic statues surrounding it shone.

For a second, neither of us spoke. If it wasn't for the tapping on my shoulder, I would've gaped longer.

Behind me, there stood a girl who was all too familiar. The last time I'd seen her was two months ago in New York when I had been paying the Olympians a visit.

"¡Hola!" She said. "¿Cómo estas?"

_Hello, how are you?_

"Silena? Beauregard?" Seeing that it really was her, my eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm your escort of course!" She giggled and spread her arms wide. "This was a nice place to meet, don't you think?"

Having heard a commotion, the other's turned around. Being the only other person who knew who Silena was, Jason jumped. "Silena!"

"My! You don't have to act so surprised." Selena pouted, baby-blue eyes twinkling. "We _are _part of the same un-named organization after all."

"Wait, you're the person we're meant to meet?" Jason asked, quickly getting rid of his surprise.

"Yup!" Silena turned and waved us to follow. "But let's go before it gets too late. We can't exactly talk private matters in public."

Though I trusted Silena, I didn't move. Something about this didn't feel right, and I couldn't place my finger on it. Though it made sense that Silena would be the one we were meant to meet, it didn't explain why we didn't know she was part of our mission. Poseidon made sure that we knew who was in our organization for the exact reason that someone might try to infiltrate it. But Silena wouldn't betray us, right?

"Alright," I agreed, and went to follow Silena. I gestured for the others to go ahead of me, but grabbed Jason before he could walk past.

"Stay here," I whispered.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"We'll be back," I turned around to make sure they hadn't gone too far. They were only a few feet away. "Something isn't right. I want you to wait here. If no one else arrives in an hour, then go back to the hotel. Trust me."

Jason hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay. I'll stay here."

I smiled, and then went after Silena, who still hadn't noticed that I was gone, or Jason for that matter. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but I had learned long ago not to let my feelings get in the way of my thoughts. They were what held me back before being Praetor, and I wasn't going to let them hurt me now.

"There's our ride!" Silena pointed to a black tinted car to our left. She gestured for us to enter first. "Have a seat."

Sparing one final glance to the Ángel de la Independencia that still loomed over us in the distance, I stepped inside and made room for Ethan and Luke.

Somehow, I felt that the car was much too dark and cramped for a simple trip. The walls were closer than that of a normal vehicle and I could hear the other's breathing. Instead of sitting in the back with us, Silena made herself comfortable in the front, and even though she didn't do anything suspicious, the action didn't exactly reassure me.

I jumped, feeling cold fingers meeting mine. Realizing it was Ethan, I tried to pull my hand back, but he only held tighter.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed. Even with my low tone, I sounded loud in that silent space.

"I…" I heard Ethan gulp and then whisper something else. "I'm claustrophobic."

I considered snatching my hand back, but decided against it in the end. Ethan wasn't one to let his vulnerabilities show easily, and the fact that he was letting me know so plainly was an indicator that his fear was serious.

Instead, I intertwined my fingers with his and clutched his hand firmly. "This is completely platonic."

A forced smile crossed Ethan's face and he nodded. "Yeah."

Rather than make the situation more awkward, I turned to look out the window, and blinked when I realized that I couldn't. From the outside, it'd looked dark, but inside it was plain black.

I couldn't see a thing, and I had no clue where we were going.

I suddenly felt glad that Ethan had asked me for that favor…because he wasn't the only one who suddenly felt that something was very off.

* * *

><p><em>From her spot in front, Silena glanced at Reyna and sighed.<em>

_**That girl had no idea just how badly things were going to get.**_

_**She'd be sure to inform her.**_

* * *

><p><strong>*Sixty-five degrees Celsius to those not in the US (I think. I used google, but I dunno how to convert it.)<strong>

**I'm putting the characters in such dire situations! It's so much fun. :D Next one is going to be the introduction of one of the most hated characters in PJO/HOO history. Guess who!?**


	5. Point-Blank

**As always, thank you to my beta-reader, Annabeth Brady and to anyone reading! Also, I'm soooo sorry for the conversions mix-up in the last chapter. *embarrassment* I'll pay more attention next time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I earn this plot! :P**

* * *

><p><strong>PERCY POV-<strong>

It had been a more than a week, and we still hadn't been let out. We weren't treated badly per-say. Each day, the Army members came by and dropped off some food for us in our fancy cells. They made sure we were healthy and alive, but they never offered to allow us some fresh air.

Even the bathrooms weren't needed considering that we were on a five-star ship with amazing living quarters. That part wasn't a lie at least. We really were being pampered and well-fed, but that didn't make this any less wrong. I felt more like a pet than a guest.

Despite the fact that my living conditions were much better than they'd ever been, I still had the urge to escape, and so did everyone else. Living this way didn't make me happy, and I had a mission to accomplish, even if I didn't agree with who I was working with…no matter how big-headed those people were, the cause was still worth it.

After a week of being locked up in a room too big for it's own good, I'd decided that enough was enough. I was going to escape, and I was going to help as many people as I could. This time, I wasn't going to do it alone.

Though we were in separate cells, the others and I had a developed a connection of sorts.

Along with all the other contraptions we'd stolen-er-borrowed from the Olympians, the most useful by far was the IM watch. When not looked at directly, my wrist looked empty and accessory-less, but when given attention, it was easy to see that I was actually wearing a plain silver band.

That was when the term, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" would come in, because that little band wasn't simply for looks. With just a thought or two, I was able to summon a hologram that could serve as a GPS, a watch, and most importantly, a means of communication. It worked a bit like FaceTime…only better and more suited for the Olympians.

Using that, Annabeth, Frank, Nico, and I set up a plan that required us to move both silently and quickly. It wasn't foolproof, but it was the best we could do, and the fastest thing we could pull together. Now, tonight was the night that we would be carrying it out.

"Are you ready?" I whispered, hidden under a pile of blankets on my bed.

"Absolutely," hologram-Annabeth replied. "Make sure to keep them calm. If they really want to get out, then they have to be patient."

"Got it," I smiled. "Good luck, Wise-Girl. See you in a bit."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but returned my smile nevertheless. "Don't let your guard down, Seaweed-Brain."

With that, the screen became dark, and I suddenly became aware of exactly what type of situation we were in. The craftsmanship of the liner was made so that hardly any noise could be heard from the engine room, or even the guest-bedrooms. The only way a person could hear the chugging of the engines, or the crash of the waves, would be if they were at the bottom floor of the ship.

I presumed that the architects did this on purpose, to prevent us from escaping so easily, but if looked at the right way, this also worked in our favor. Over the past few days, I noted that the Army members were loud whenever passing us in the hall, no matter the time of day.

It was as if they were mocking our situation and showing how little they actually cared whether we rested or not. That's about the only thing that comforted me when I confirmed that Kronos's Army had actually survived. Though they had managed to find each other and unite once more, they still hadn't gained enough wisdom to drop the cocky attitude and actually do what they were supposed to do.

They were survivors, but they were also idiots, and to that I was eternally grateful.

I stealthily slipped out from under my covers and shook Hazel's shoulders. It only took five seconds to get her up, and she was quiet even when she was wide-awake.

"Percy?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Shh." I looked around and then gave Hazel what I hoped was a reassuring look. "We're busting out of here."

"Are you serious?" Hazel was definitely up now. "We're a small group of kids. How are we going to do it?"

Contrary to her choice of words, Hazel's tone sounded excited, as if she could hardly believe that we were really going to do this, but she was looking forward to finding out how. It seemed that she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, just like the rest of us.

Throwing caution to the wind, I gave Hazel a hint of what was really behind my identity. "We're kids, yeah, but there's more to us than meets the eye." I winked and waved her over so that we could wake Callie. "Trust me on this one."

Hazel nodded, believing me surprisingly fast, and at the same time giving me more confidence. If a person I'd barely met had faith in me, then there must've been a reason.

I was about to shake Callie the same way I did Hazel, when I realized that it wasn't necessary. The girl was already up, and sitting on the edge of her bed with crossed legs.

"I heard there was an escape plan being set up." She didn't sound like she was asking, more like she was certain that she was correct.

"What gave it away?" I asked, leaning down to grab a jacket. Now that Callie was awake, I might as well warm up. I tossed Hazel some scarfs and a pair of gloves.

"I had a feeling," Callie lazily set about to stretching her arms high above her. "I got tired of being locked up, so make sure to count me in."

I threw a winter hat in her direction, and Callie caught it just before it hit her in the face. "Then hurry up. We've only got twenty minutes to get out of here and take everyone else on this ship with us."

At this she looked surprised.

"Everyone?" Callie blinked. "I'd figured it was just us. How are you going to manage that?"

"No questions," I buttoned up my third coat and stuffed my messy hair into a beanie. "Time's ticking and I'm going to need your help."

With that, we all set to work grabbing as much winter clothes as possible. Though it wasn't common for this part of the sea, tonight would be a cold night to wander aimlessly through an island, and that was exactly what we were going to do.

* * *

><p>We were supposed to land in Corfu, Greece at exactly ten o'clock. Though it was farther from Athens than we'd hoped, we couldn't risk staying on this ship any longer, and neither could we risk the lives of the other prisoners...not after what we'd seen on the first day.<p>

Of course, the Army members didn't tell us we were going to take a stop, but Annabeth knew for sure that we were. Just before we were taken, she'd hidden a bug behind a pillar, and listened in on everything from her room. Even in our current dilemma, we could always find some way out.

I raised a finger to my mouth as a "quiet" sign.

Hazel immediately froze behind me, leaving Callie to follow her example. Seeing that they were completely still, I bent down and knocked on the floor three times, just outside Annabeth's door.

Instead of Annabeth, the door was opened by who I most feared to see right now.

The Army member stepped forward, face covered with a dark mask. "You're supposed to remain in your room. How did you get out?"

For a second, I was stiff and simply stared. We were done for, getting out would definitely be impossible now. What was worse, was that I didn't know whether the others were okay or not. The others-what did this guy do to them?

In a flash, I shot out an arm and reached toward the man's neck, intending on knocking him out, but getting interrupted by a second hand grabbing my own.

I narrowed my eyes, stopping when I saw that it was Nico who was keeping me back.

"Stop joking around like that, Frank," he said, retracting his arm. "You're going to get us sent somewhere worse."

Realizing that the person behind the getup was not an actual Army member, I loosened my stance. "Where'd you get that?"

Frank made room for Annabeth and pointed at her. "She'd managed to knock out the guys dropping off our food"

I glanced at Annabeth, who looked right back at me, proud as ever. I had to resist the urge to kiss her right there.

"I figured it'd be better to have a backup plan just in case we got caught," she said. "We could pretend to be prisoners. Since we gagged them, they won't find the guys until morning at least."

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and saw that it was Callie with an angry expression. Hazel stood next to her, keeping close to the only person she knew well enough to trust.

"Excuse me, but how did you manage to do this? We were together this entire time and I never noticed you communicating with each other." She looked at Nico and Frank, who were the only ones wearing disguises. "I figured this was planned last-minute, but his looks too organized."

Behind that statement, I knew Callie was really asking us what who we really were. If I could have it my way, I would tell her, but being that I'd been betrayed way too many times, I kept my mouth shut.

Seeing that I wasn't going to say anything myself, Nico stepped in.

"Look," he said. "I know we seem suspicious, but compared to the people running this ship, are we really that bad? If you had to choose, which you kind of do, what side would you be on?"

Callie didn't even stop to think. "I would choose you guys."

"Then we're asking you to cooperate," Nico eyed Frank. "We may not look like much, but I've seen these guys in action, and I know we can get out."

"Wow, Nico," I whispered. "You're being optimistic for once."

He shot me a look that screamed murder.

"Right," Frank jumped in before Nico could throttle me. "So basically, we're going to split up. Annabeth and I will take you to safety, while Nico and Percy free everyone else. All you need to do is keep quiet and go along with it, alright?"

Reluctantly, Callie nodded with Hazel. It seemed that we were their only hope for escape.

With one final glance, we went our separate ways, with the others going up, and Nico and I going deeper into our prison.

* * *

><p>I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable being around Nico. It was bad enough that he'd used my family and friends in his little trick, but actually seeing him <em>dressed <em>as one of them made it so much worse. His disguise symbolized everything he'd done in one glance.

Eventually, Nico noticed that I was keeping my distance and sighed, doing something unexpected as a result.

Grabbing my arm, he pulled me closer to him so that we were only a few inches apart.

"If we're going to work together, then we need to have at least _some_ kind of trust," He said. "So it'd be nice if you could stop treating me like I'm a disease."

Rather than answer, I stopped in front of a door and pressed my ear against it. When all I heard was the buzzing of the machinery, I waved Nico over, still not looking him in the eye.

"It sounds safe enough, but keep an eye out just in case."

Nico nodded, and together, but kept apart by our pasts, we went in.

The room was dark, and though I was unsure about it at first, I ended up having to switch on my watch light. Once I did, I noticed that the room was a lot longer than it looked compared to it's picture in the map.

Cables ran along the walls, and control panels awaited us at the end of it. With those things in mind, I stalked forward quickly and set to work trying to find the buttons that would unlock all the doors in the rooms. Unlike us, the others didn't have the knowledge we had to get past security.

The whole time, I could feel Nico's eyes boring into the back of my head, ready to be my backup if we were to be caught. The plan was to pretend that I'd snuck into the machinery room, and that he had caught me in the act. Hopefully, if we were lucky, we wouldn't have to put it into action.

I didn't enjoy the thought of pretending to be weak under Nico's clutches.

"Is it that hard to find one switch?" He asked, fidgeting behind me.

"It is when there's hundreds of unlabeled ones to choose from," I flashed my light across the controls. "Now quit complaining and stand there like a good little Army member."

"I've never wanted to punch someone more than I do at this moment," Nico commented.

"Right back at yah," I replied, then whisper-yelled a silent, "Yes!"

Among all the other switches and knobs, I found what I'd been looking for. I would've pulled it right then, but there was still one last thing I needed to do.

In order for the plan to work, I had to create a diversion to keep the Army members away from the others. The only way that could work would be with a trap.

"Nico, go lock the door please."

I still didn't look at him, but I could tell that Nico wasn't happy to be given orders. Even so, I heard his footsteps fading away slowly, back the way we came.

Now that I was alone, I turned on the cameras and focused them to one place in particular; the main hall. With the location of most of the Army members in mind, I clicked on the microphone and used the scarf around my neck to muffle my voice.

"Kronos's Army, please report to Room A. An important meeting is about to be held." Seeing that people were already starting to enter the hall, I repeated myself once more, and waited, my left hand holding a large red switch and my right hovering over an identical one.

The moment I saw that there were enough people in the hall, I was going to lock them in and give the others some time to gather their things and escape. Annabeth was already getting the lifeboats ready, yet it was up to me to give the teens instructions on where to go. There was only one problem with this.

With all the people crowding out the halls, the chance that Nico and I wouldn't make it out was a possibility.

A minute passed, and then two, but it wasn't long before most of the Army members crowded in the hall like flies to a light source. Once that happened, I steadied myself, and with a final mouthful of breath, I pushed the left switch.

If I'd known that a simple move could cause such an out-roar, I would've covered my ears.

The clashing of the gigantic doors echoed throughout the entire ship, and with it came the sounds of alarms, presumably as a warning that there was no way out. It lasted for three minutes at most, but in that time, something dawned on me.

I wasn't alone.

I could hear someone chuckling behind me, and they weren't Nico. "Well done. I didn't think you'd get this far."

Slowly, I turned around and pointed my watch light at the person's face.

He was a lanky boy with dull blonde hair that was hardly darker than the rest of him. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that he'd never gone outside a day in his life. He was paler than a bleached sheet, and though I considered blue a nice eye color, the guy somehow managed to make it look dead.

I would've been grateful that it was him who I was facing up against and not some big burly guy, but there was one very big problem that took away any sense of relief.

The boy wasn't alone. Nico was with him…and he was being held at gunpoint.

My voice was caught in my throat, and I could almost bet that I went as pale as the person in front of me.

"I guess I should introduce myself," the boy drawled. "My name is Octavian, but you probably know me as The Boss."

"You're The Boss?" I blinked hard, thinking of a way to use Octavian's cocky attitude against him. "How did a pipsqueak like you muster such a deep voice?"

Octavian scowled, not amused, but quickly evened it out with a smirk. "Careful, I might just laugh so hard, I end up pulling the trigger."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Nico flinch, obviously scared even if he tried not to be. It took all my strength not to look at him directly.

"That caught your attention," Octavian grabbed Nico by his hair and yanked back his head. Now it was my turn to flinch.

"Watch it!" Nico croaked, having a hard time speaking with the awkward position his neck was in.

Octavian simply pulled more. "Here's the thing. I was put in charge of this ship, and it's up to _me _to take it and it's prisoners to shore. This is my only chance to be in power, and I don't want a mere rich boy like _you _to get in _my _way! Got it?"

I was about to answer, but from behind Octavian, I caught the glimpse of a shadow resembling a person. My eyes widened, and I had to put effort in keeping skill. Though Octavian couldn't see my face because of the dark, I was sure he'd notice something if I suddenly moved.

"What will you do if I don't?" I asked, for the sake of buying time.

For what, I wasn't sure, but it was all I had.

"You're a lot stupider than I thought," Octavian held the gun even closer to Nico's head, probably hurting him with the pressure. "I'll pull the trigger, and your friend here will die in an instant."

"Do it."

Those two words were enough to throw Octavian off. His expression would've been hilarious, if I hadn't seen Nico's.

His face, which was usually so calm and closed-in, was showing more emotion than I'd seen since knowing him. He looked absolutely broken and betrayed. His eyes, so dark that they matched the midnight sky, were watery and wide open in shock.

_Do you really hate me that much?_ They screamed.

I clenched my hands into fists, and answered using those same two words.

**"Do it."**

* * *

><p>…<em>But it wasn't Octavian who I was looking at when I spoke.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Don't you just want to stuff Octavian into a bag of weasels and dump him into a ball pit? Shesh. <strong>

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Percy and Nico interactions are pretty fun to write. :D**

**Also, to one of the guests…THALIA ISN'T DEAD. (caps for emphasis, not anger)**


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